LONDON 1 NORTH: Diss 8 Bury 35

BURY started the game at pace with an intensity in attack and defence that continued throughout the game.

Within three minutes Bury had taken the lead with a penalty confidently converted by fly-half Will Martin.

Bury then counter-attacked, with Tim Mann collecting his own grubber kick to run through and score in the corner.

Within ten minutes, Diss had scored a try after good pressure on the Bury try-line allowed Peter Chartier to spin the ball out to Tom Holt and, with a lovely weighted pass to Chris Beaird, he was able to dive over in the corner.

Before half-time Diss were awarded a penalty and Warren Wilby converted to bring the scores level.

Into the second-half and Diss fly-half Will Martin escaped the clutches of three tacklers to generate a penalty just inside the opposition’s half. The kick went into the corner before Bury caught and drove well, prop forward Matt Bell flopping over the line from two yards.

During a Diss counter-attack, a great steal by scrum-half Johnny Dennis in the tackle, allowed the diminutive no 9 the chance to send Ricky Jones away.

The speedster made good ground, the ball came back, Eddison straightened the play in midfield and Bury’s other teenage winger, Josh Borley had the simple duty of dotting down in the opposite corner.

Martin made it 21-8 with a well-struck penalty after midfield offside and it began to look like there would only be one winner.

An astute kick downfield forced Diss to concede a lineout on their 22-metre line.

A training ground move saw the ball move off the top of the line-out to the three quarters and a simple miss-move in midfield allowed full-back Barry Frost to run in and score.

Martin landed the conversion from wide out and it was 28-8.

Bury did score again when once again a penalty was kicked into the corner and Matt Eddison was driven over by his fellow forwards.